Biden calls for unity after Trump assassination attempt

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden called on Americans to “stand together” following an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, saying politics must never be a "literal battlefield.”

“We debate and disagree, we compare and contrast the character of the candidates, the records, the issues, the agenda, the visions for America. But in America, we resolve our differences at the ballot box. That’s how we do it, at the ballot box — not with bullets. The power to change America should always rest in the hands of the people, not in the hands of a would-be assassin,” Biden said when addressing the nation from the Oval Office.

Noting that disagreements are inevitable in a democracy, he said: "But politics must never be a literal battlefield. God forbid a killing field. I believe politics ought to be an arena for peaceful debate.”

“There is no place in America for this kind of violence, for any violence, ever," Biden stressed, while also recalling the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and the attack on the spouse of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

“We can’t allow this violence to be normalized. The political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated. It’s time to cool it down,” he added.

"I believe politics ought to be an arena for peaceful debate," Biden said. "All of us now face a time of testing as the election approaches."